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Show Me the Psychology in a Follow Up Autoresponder Series, please...

by P.A. Smith
25 replies
Hi Warriors!

I've been searching high and low to find a good course, videos, training, etc. to not just tell me what messages I should include in a prospect followup series, but the step-by-step psychology behind crafting the series so a person could adapt it to any product or service.

Anyone know of such a resource or resources. I'm familiar with Michael Rasmussen's and Jay White's email marketing products, but they appear to fall short in this particular aspect. (please correct me if I'm wrong)

I own Terry Dean's Email Marketing Mastery Course, and while it lays out the types of emails to put into the series, it doesn't tell me what these emails should consist of nor the psychology to progress the prospect thru the sales process with those particular emails.

Charlie Page goes a little further in this precise area in "Follow Up Systems That Sell", but stops just short again.

Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
P.A. :-)
#autoresponder #follow #follow up #psychology #series #show
  • Profile picture of the author Clark
    This is one of my golden resources: The follow-up formula that turns your mailing list into cash!

    It belongs to Mr."Name Squeeze"TM himself

    Enjoy!
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    • Profile picture of the author P.A. Smith
      Originally Posted by Clark View Post

      This is one of my golden resources: The follow-up formula that turns your mailing list into cash!

      It belongs to Mr."Name Squeeze"TM himself

      Enjoy!
      Thanks Clark!

      And I definitely second your opinion about Jonathan Mizel. I'm subscribed to his blog and I actually have this very article downloaded to my pc. (Great minds think alike, huh?)

      What I'm looking for, if I can find it, however, is an in-depth, point-by-point, study of the psychology of the emails he's speaking of.

      I've got some Jon Carlton workshops and he goes deep into the psychology of sales letters. Other copywriters do as well. I'm kinda looking for that same style of analysis of a follow up series, if I'm making any sense.

      Thanks for reminder. That piece is a great refresher for followups. Gonna read it again right now... :-)

      -P.A.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ron Killian
    Think it more depends on you and your personality and your niche. If some one told you step by step how they do it, doesn't mean it will work for you, right? To me, so many marketers have their own personality that shows through in their messages, or least the personality they want to come out. Least my take.

    This was brought up in another recent thread, some what, in that the guru's are showing you what they do, it's all right there. Just sign up for their lists and learn exactly how they do it. Free education
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    • Profile picture of the author P.A. Smith
      Originally Posted by Ron Killian View Post

      Think it more depends on you and your personality and your niche. If some one told you step by step how they do it, doesn't mean it will work for you, right? To me, so many marketers have their own personality that shows through in their messages, or least the personality they want to come out. Least my take.

      This was brought up in another recent thread, some what, in that the guru's are showing you what they do, it's all right there. Just sign up for their lists and learn exactly how they do it. Free education
      Hi Ron-

      While I agree with everything you've said here, I also believe the "guru's" don't come from the same position as the beginning marketer. (I'm speaking of myself.) They market from a much different perspective, in that they are established... branded. Plus they already "know" the psychology that I am seeking.

      I think you're right, tho... I do need to study them, but I think I need to go a step further and study who they've studied.

      Thanks for the input. Much appreciated!

      -P.A.
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  • Profile picture of the author James A. Miller
    Thanks, Clark. That's a solid piece of advice.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jay White
    Originally Posted by P.A. Smith View Post

    I'm familiar with Michael Rasmussen's and Jay White's email marketing products, but they appear to fall short in this particular aspect. (please correct me if I'm wrong)

    Thanks,
    P.A. :-)
    Sorry to hear you say that, P.A. Actually, I tried to come up with a plug-and-play, works-for-any-niche autoresponder template series. Because I knew that if I could find something that works, it would sell like gangbusters.

    But guess what? I couldn't do it. Because I quickly realized there's no "one way" that works for everyone. There's too many factors (product, audience, price, copy, etc) that can change the whole face of a campaign.

    What I teach in my course is basically this: Try to find a different want/need/desire/problem your prospect is having and tailor each email to focus SOLELY on one of them. Then position your product as the answer to that specific want/need/desire/problem.

    When you do this in a series, you'll have a better chance of eventually hitting them in the gut with what's REALLY going to make them go back and take a second look at your offer. It might not be email 2, or 3, or even 4. But email 5 smacks 'em right between the eyes.

    Not sure if that's "psychology" or not, but it's worked for me and my clients over and over again. There's some free videos in the Youtube link at the left which explain this better.

    Hope that helps!
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    • Profile picture of the author P.A. Smith
      Originally Posted by Jay White View Post

      Sorry to hear you say that, P.A. Actually, I tried to come up with a plug-and-play, works-for-any-niche autoresponder template series. Because I knew that if I could find something that works, it would sell like gangbusters.

      But guess what? I couldn't do it. Because I quickly realized there's no "one way" that works for everyone. There's too many factors (product, audience, price, copy, etc) that can change the whole face of a campaign.

      What I teach in my course is basically this: Try to find a different want/need/desire/problem your prospect is having and tailor each email to focus SOLELY on one of them. Then position your product as the answer to that specific want/need/desire/problem.

      When you do this in a series, you'll have a better chance of eventually hitting them in the gut with what's REALLY going to make them go back and take a second look at your offer. It might not be email 2, or 3, or even 4. But email 5 smacks 'em right between the eyes.

      Not sure if that's "psychology" or not, but it's worked for me and my clients over and over again. There's some free videos in the Youtube link at the left which explain this better.

      Hope that helps!
      Hi Jay-

      You bet it helps!

      I've been tossing that very thought around in my head... That perhaps what I have been looking for is unrealistic, and if it's not viable I want to hear that it's not viable. I guess that's why no one has a product out there like that, huh? I appreciate you sharing that with me.

      I don't want it to sound as if I don't like/want your course, because I went through every free video I could find from you about a month ago and I find tremendous value in them. In fact if your EmailCopyMadeEasy.com was a stand-alone product, I would have bought it already. However, I'd feel a little sleazy if I bought it only for the videos and then canceled out on the monthly autoresponder messages.

      Any thoughts about making it a stand alone product in the future? ;-)

      Anyway, thanks for the advice. It's gonna save me some time searching for something that doesn't exist.

      Gratefully,
      P.A.
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      • Profile picture of the author Jay White
        Originally Posted by P.A. Smith View Post

        Hi Jay-

        You bet it helps!

        I've been tossing that very thought around in my head... That perhaps what I have been looking for is unrealistic, and if it's not viable I want to hear that it's not viable. I guess that's why no one has a product out there like that, huh? I appreciate you sharing that with me.

        I don't want it to sound as if I don't like/want your course, because I went through every free video I could find from you about a month ago and I find tremendous value in them. In fact if your EmailCopyMadeEasy.com was a stand-alone product, I would have bought it already. However, I'd feel a little sleazy if I bought it only for the videos and then canceled out on the monthly autoresponder messages.

        Any thoughts about making it a stand alone product in the future? ;-)

        Anyway, thanks for the advice. It's gonna save me some time searching for something that doesn't exist.

        Gratefully,
        P.A.
        Not a problem. I may release it as a stand-alone in the future, if there's enough interest. But feedback like that is exactly what I'm looking for.

        And I appreciate your "lack of sleaziness".
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    • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
      Originally Posted by Jay White View Post


      What I teach in my course is basically this: Try to find a different want/need/desire/problem your prospect is having and tailor each email to focus SOLELY on one of them. Then position your product as the answer to that specific want/need/desire/problem.

      When you do this in a series, you'll have a better chance of eventually hitting them in the gut with what's REALLY going to make them go back and take a second look at your offer. It might not be email 2, or 3, or even 4. But email 5 smacks 'em right between the eyes.

      Not sure if that's "psychology" or not, but it's worked for me and my clients over and over again. There's some free videos in the Youtube link at the left which explain this better.

      Hope that helps!
      It's not.

      The psychological approach is not to hold back any benefits on the first encounter because you never know which benefit is the one that person needs most. Running things in a series converts much less people than giving them all the benefits on the first hit and then giving them the call to action.

      It's the age-old tested way that works.

      Not to say you have to do it, but just that your conversions will be less if you don't.

      Andy
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      • Profile picture of the author Jay White
        Originally Posted by Andyhenry View Post

        It's not.

        The psychological approach is not to hold back any benefits on the first encounter because you never know which benefit is the one that person needs most. Running things in a series converts much less people than giving them all the benefits on the first hit and then giving them the call to action.

        It's the age-old tested way that works.

        Not to say you have to do it, but just that your conversions will be less if you don't.

        Andy
        I have no doubt that's worked well for you Andy. And I'm glad it has. I've just found a slightly different approach based more on building a relationship that has converted well for my clients and customers.

        Better or worse than what you've suggested? I don't know. Ask them. All I know is they keep coming back for more. So it's obviously working

        Which really brings us back the original thought. There's no "right" or "wrong" way to do this. Only the one that works best. Testing is the best answer at this point.
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  • Profile picture of the author Raydal
    Originally Posted by P.A. Smith View Post

    Hi Warriors!

    I've been searching high and low to find a good course, videos, training, etc. to not just tell me what messages I should include in a prospect followup series, but the step-by-step psychology behind crafting the series so a person could adapt it to any product or service.

    Thanks,
    P.A. :-)
    An autoresponder series is simply a sales letter dished out over time.
    I can't see why the psychology of the series will be any different to
    a long sales letter.

    The basic "psychology" I follow in my autoresponder series is the
    'bill collector' method where each successive letter becomes
    tougher towards getting the sale. But outside of this you are
    pushing the same psychological buttons as in any direct marketing
    piece.

    But again your approach all depends on what you want to accomplish.

    -Ray Edwards
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    • Profile picture of the author P.A. Smith
      Originally Posted by Raydal View Post

      An autoresponder series is simply a sales letter dished out over time.
      I can't see why the psychology of the series will be any different to
      a long sales letter.

      The basic "psychology" I follow in my autoresponder series is the
      'bill collector' method where each successive letter becomes
      tougher towards getting the sale. But outside of this you are
      pushing the same psychological buttons as in any direct marketing
      piece.

      But again your approach all depends on what you want to accomplish.

      -Ray Edwards
      Hi Ray-

      The more I read, the more I can see that what you're saying here is true.

      Thanks much for the reply.

      -P.A.
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  • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
    Don't waste your time reading from people who are just repeating what they read - go straight to the sources.

    Check out Claude C. Hopkins, more specifically - "scientific advertising".

    I forgot how good this was until recently when I was listening to the audio version in the car everywhere I went.

    The other person is David Ogilvy - I bought all of their physical books years ago but some of them are available in digital format now.

    You can grab the book on Amazon for under $1:

    http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=turntoa...1=FFFFFF&f=ifr

    Andy
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    • Profile picture of the author P.A. Smith
      Originally Posted by Andyhenry View Post

      Don't waste your time reading from people who are just repeating what they read - go straight to the sources.

      Check out Claude C. Hopkins, more specifically - "scientific advertising".
      Hahaha... That's funny to me, Andy. I just got back from a used bookstore, and as I was going through the sales/marketing section, that same thought struck me. I heard from someone a few years ago, (seems like it was Yanik Silver) that he would always be ahead of all the people who DON'T go back to Hopkins's "Scientific Advertising", and learn from it and the other great marketers like Ogilvy, Caples, Collier, etc.

      So good call! I have some boxes in my garage to start going through...

      -P.A.
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  • Profile picture of the author folkcare
    I got a very good course (video) but won't say his name, I think. Essentially give your emails loads of character - make the lines fairly short and paras short - give it a start and an ending like "the Golfing Pro Guy" - put some humor and self deprecation into it. And use " " a bit to break it up for eye ease. DO not try and sell on your first email. Don't sell on your 2nd either and introduce good tips and articles for the reader and come in gradually with the CPA. Hope that helps.
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    • Profile picture of the author Loren Woirhaye
      I'm actually very interested in this question. Once I sought the
      answer myself... and found nothing but more questions. I found
      that as much as I desired an email series I could just "plug into"
      which would flood my inbox with cash orders, the best solution
      was to sit down and write them myself - imbuing them with my
      own personality, values, and aspirations.

      The result is that some subscribers are annoyed but many are
      entranced by the quantity and transparency of the content
      I put out. I get fan mail.

      It is not a "paint by numbers" solution.

      ###

      Since the old masters have been invoked I suggest that
      Robert Collier has some very, very good insights in his book
      about sequential mailings for the same product - in his day
      of course he was paying for postage where for us today email
      marketing is silly-cheap, to our benefit but also this works
      against us because our competition may be deluging our
      recipient's inbox as well.

      Get the Robert Collier Letter Book. Very useful stuff.
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      • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
        Originally Posted by Loren Woirhaye View Post

        in his day
        of course he was paying for postage where for us today email
        marketing is silly-cheap, to our benefit but also this works
        against us because our competition may be deluging our
        recipient's inbox as well.
        THAT is the main reason for going back to the source of this type of information. These guys were mail order copy writers and everything they did was tested and tracked to improve on the reference model.

        There's a LOT of misinformation about psychology and copywriting from people who just say what they 'think' would work rather than what has been proven to work.

        You can see these principles in use all around you, so it's easy to look for yourself and test for yourself - but as usual, most people want a golden answer on a plate for one model that will work anywhere.
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      • Profile picture of the author P.A. Smith
        Originally Posted by Loren Woirhaye View Post

        I found
        that as much as I desired an email series I could just "plug into"
        which would flood my inbox with cash orders,

        Get the Robert Collier Letter Book. Very useful stuff.
        Thanks Loren-

        I appreciate the response. It seems there used to be a product or service several years ago that was designed to do that... "Instant Autoresponders", I believe. I don't see it in the search engines now, so I guess it must have gone the way of the Dodo. Probably for this very reason, that it can't be all things to all people.

        It seems to me I may have a copy of the Robert Collier Letter Book. I know I have one of his others. (I really gotta get out into the garage.)

        Thanks for the input,
        P.A.
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  • Profile picture of the author quiescen
    I've signed up on a few lists. And guess what? They mostly all blow. Why? Because they are missing the single most important ingredient ... they don't care enough about MY problem.

    It really is simple. Show the prospect you actually care about their "problem(s), whatever that is, and you will be rewarded with customers.

    Simple usually escapes most so called gurus though. They like to enthrall you with their acumen (as Hannibal Lector once said.)
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  • Profile picture of the author Droopy Dawg
    I normally send ecourses to my list when they opt in... they know exactly why they're opting in before they sign up.

    For example... (I don't have a problem exposing my niche )...

    I have a 35-day Forex ecourse that I offer as well as an ebook. I don't advertise it as "35 days" because I don't want to scare off anyone, but up front I offer a free Forex ebook, and an ecourse.

    here's my site: http://www.learforexonline.net

    I set my autoresponder up for 35 days (35 Forex lessons) to send the next "day's" lesson, which is an email with a link to download a 7-8 page ebook with the title of "today's lesson".

    So this way they kinda get used to seeing emails from my site. Every 5 or 6 days I send sprinkle an email in there about a Forex product that might help them (add affiliate link), and in that email I ask how they're doing in their ecourse and offer encouragement.

    Its worked out pretty well so far.

    I try to stay away from the "I met this guy in the elevator and he told me about 'affiliate product'"... I wouldn't believe that crap so I'd try not to insult customer intelligence with that.

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    • Profile picture of the author P.A. Smith
      Originally Posted by Droopy Dawg View Post

      I normally send ecourses to my list when they opt in... they know exactly why they're opting in before they sign up.

      For example... (I don't have a problem exposing my niche )...

      I have a 35-day Forex ecourse that I offer as well as an ebook. I don't advertise it as "35 days" because I don't want to scare off anyone, but up front I offer a free Forex ebook, and an ecourse.

      here's my site: http://www.learforexonline.net

      I set my autoresponder up for 35 days (35 Forex lessons) to send the next "day's" lesson, which is an email with a link to download a 7-8 page ebook with the title of "today's lesson".

      So this way they kinda get used to seeing emails from my site. Every 5 or 6 days I send sprinkle an email in there about a Forex product that might help them (add affiliate link), and in that email I ask how they're doing in their ecourse and offer encouragement.

      Its worked out pretty well so far.

      I try to stay away from the "I met this guy in the elevator and he told me about 'affiliate product'"... I wouldn't believe that crap so I'd try not to insult customer intelligence with that.
      Thanks Droopy Dawg-

      I appreciate you revealing your niche. Most folks would probably be hesitant to do that, so kudos to you.

      I kinda like the idea of a lengthy e-course. What do you do after the final lesson. Intermittent affiliate offers? (If you don't mind me asking)

      -P.A.
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